a destructive experiment

Okay so this is the post where I reveal the mystery around this past week's Where I Stand Sunday photo (although you guys are all pretty savvy, I'm sure you picked up a little bit of what kind of idea is marching through my mind.)

I've been reading a lot about fiber artists that leave their work outside to watch the elements have their way with it. I'm pretty fascinated by this concept. Jeanne Williamson has been doing this for a quite a while with two of her pieces, you can read more about it on her blog as she documents it on a regular basis. Plus she's begun doing quite a few outdoor installations of new work, very fascinating stuff.

Much of my fiber work is destined for deadlines and shows so I don't have much of that that can be spared for experiment. But what I do have is a couple of assemblages kicking around and I got to wondering what would happen if one of them spent the winter outside.

In Michigan. With snow. And generally abusive weather.

This poor little assemblage is the one that is being subjected to the trials of winter:

Dooley isn't sure what to think of the idea, his expression is full of doubt.

I don't expect anything good to happen to it. Although I did make an effort to give it a fighting chance - I put it on the middle rung of the fence that runs along Dooley's patio.

(Yes, we like yard chackis.)

Let's creep up on it, shall we?

We have our fair share of critters around here, there is a squirrel that has his home in the two trees that hang over our patio. (He is Dooley's arch nemesis, taunts him something terrible. Always chattering and flicking his tail at him, devil squirrel.)

So it will be interesting to see how much of it actually sticks around for the winter experiment.

Just to document this proper and take a look at what's there as it stands at the beginning of it:

 

The little pictures of the houses are paper collage and the paint is all water based acrylic. The orange frames are wood and the blue branches are actual branches from the yard (they seem happy to be home). The bird is resin that I've painted and the nest is faux wood with sytrofoam eggs. The bottom of two of the boxes and the tops are decoupaged with pages of an old book. The knobs on top are glass and the buttons on the edges are plastic. The wood should hold up decently and the entire thing is held together with weld bond glue.

Why am I doing this? Dunno. Just curious. I have some pieces that I get attached to and can't let go but for the most part, I'm willing to torture my work. I'll post periodic updates on how its doing  - should be interesting! :)

creative pause prompt #13

Creative Pause Prompt #13:

If a new artist came to you and asked you for a single piece of advice to help them along their artistic way, what would you tell them?

Creative Pause Prompt is a weekly blog post series that delivers a low key, no stress prompt to help you keep creativity in your schedule no matter how busy you are. You can read more about it here.

where i stand sunday (& a winner)

 tem*po*rar*y

adj.

1. not permanent; not lasting

2. lasting only a short time; transitory

Temporary has been on my mind, watching time moves without regard for emotion. The only objective is to continue on, keep trucking, keep the wheel turning. It isn't tangible, can't be held in the hand but it can be studied and observed.

(Check back later in the week for an explanation of this week's photos.)

Where I Stand is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.  

---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---o---

And since this was a super duper fast giveaway opportunity, I've got the winner for the DVD already!

 

The winner is Paula B. - congrats Paula!

And thanks to all the great comments! :)

frost

1. Snowflake, 2. snowflake, 3. Frost, 4. "Frost", 5. Jumbled Crystals, 6. Frost

My impatience with the delay of the ice is growing day by day. The winter brings a strange kind of artistry that skirts the edge of frightening and fascinating. I love these months, truly a girl that belongs to the winter. I want the crisp snap of the harsh cold, the clean air rushing too quickly into my lungs.  I want to loose myself in that silence that comes when the ground is covered beneath the grip of numbing stillness.

holiday thank you giveaway

I'm super humbled and thrilled and happy to be part of the fiber art community. I can't really express it enough, words don't do it.

So how about a giveaway? Been a while since I've done one. Want a chance to win a copy of my DVD workshop?

 

If you do, act fast - leave a comment (about anything) here by Sunday December 18 and I'll pick a winner and pop it in the mail to you priority. (Hopefully it makes it to you by the holidays but since I don't control the P.O., can't promise it.)

Get commenting! :)

mistakes vs. success

I've been thinking a lot about this past year. I get all stuck in this endless loop of looking at what went right and what went wrong around this time. I've come to a big realization:

There is very little difference between mistakes and success.

Granted, success is always nicer then a mistake. Makes you feel proud and special and validates all your hard work.

But you need both. 

You learn nothing without error, it is the ultimate instructor. And I think I'm okay with that, makes things difficult to regret. Its a strange kind of sweet spot when you loose the fear of mistakes.

Its not a license to throw caution to the wind and run wild naked down the street. (You may regret that mistake later on, think before you head into that one with abandon, 'k?) But its a chance to try new things and toss aside what doesn't work without beating yourself up about it.

Think about it like cooking - you make a recipe and say, "Next time I think I'd do this different." Just like that. Sort of falls in the mistake category but if you noticed, the world kept spinning and you gained inspiration and insight of where you'd like to take the dish next.

That's what I mean when I say there is very little difference between mistakes and success. One leads to another. Can't feel awful about that.

Now that I've spent a solid year working toward the goals that are nearest and dearest to my creative heart, I know what I want I want to leave in the dust and what I want to place on the schedule. I wouldn't have that certainty if I hadn't stumbled a few times along the way.

Don't regret mistakes. Take them for what they are : a stepping stone.

a meeting of artists

You know, there is something about this time of year that seems time warp-ish. I swear days move by in minutes and the entire month flies by in a blink.

I really hate leaving the blog lonely for a whole week. I blame it on December. I always have trouble keeping up. And while its all good stuff, I wish it would slow down a bit for me to find my footing.

One item on my agenda for the month was to attend the holiday party for the Michigan members of the Surface Design Association. Its a group I enjoy and wish I could get to the meetings more often but it doesn't always work out. As luck would have it, I was able to attend and was even more excited it worked out because of this:

That's me, Jane Dunnewold and Jackie Lams.

There are people in the fiber art world that I've been admiring and reading about for so long that they sometimes begin to feel unreal. Jane was one of those people so the chance to meet her was really exciting.

She didn't disappoint.

She is down to earth, generous and focused on making art. All things worth admiring. She is passionate about how she lives her life and I really enjoyed getting to speak with her one on one and celebrate with the group.

I still maintain that the greatest gift I have gained from being an artist is sharing a kinship with people I most likely would have never met otherwise.

Art makes the world a smaller place and I'm grateful for it. :)

creative pause prompt #12

Creative Pause Prompt #12:

Look back on your year and your artistic endeavors.

What would you like to do different in 2012? What would you like to do the same? Set goals for yourself, the ones that are dearest to you and will help you and your art grow in the new year. 

Creative Pause Prompt is a weekly blog post series that delivers a low key, no stress prompt to help you keep creativity in your schedule no matter how busy you are. You can read more about it here.

where i stand sunday

Any other time of the year, my attention wanders from sparkle and shine. But the holidays hold a special place, a time when magic is sifting through the air. The decorations on the sidewalks are grand and overstated, a perfect exclamation of the excitement and celebration.

Where I Stand is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. 

where i stand sunday

Cold and damp seems to linger everywhere. My feet have landed on these blankets before in an effort to find warmth. The season feels late somehow, with only rain showing so far. There's a sense of tired anticipation, a quiet vigil that is resigned to the snow that can't be far away.

Where I Stand is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. 

publishing news

Okay, first can I say that it freaks me out a bit that its December 1 already? Its like I blinked and 2011 sped by without me.

Ah well, moving on. I have publishing news and this time is a double header.

First up is my article on Remnant Collages in Sew Somerset's Winter 2012 issue:

 

I do have a word of caution for you if you decide to make one of these collages: I started making them because I thought it would be a great way to use up scraps. And it is. But it also means you can use every single scrap you have. E-v-e-r. No matter how small.

They basically kick your scrap fabric hoarding into overdrive. I'm not sure if this is good or not but now I get rid of nothing. I may end up buried under a mountain of tiny pieces of scrap fabric one day, send a search party if the blog ever goes quiet for weeks on end.

As always, Stampington puts out a beautiful magazine with Sew Somerset. Some of my favorites are "Doodling with My Sewing Machine" by Annabelle Ozanne, she does super cute illustrations and puts them in embroidery hoops - love it!

I also spent quite a bit of time lingering over "Antique Bird Quilts" by Caterina  Giglio (big shocker, I like something with birds on it), the neutral worn look of them is stunning. And "Mixed Media Sewing Cards" by Taryn Reece (shown on the cover of the issue) are really unique, love those!

Lots of other yummies in there, well worth picking up.



The other place my work is lurking is the latest issue of Quilting Arts magazine:

In it I walk you through how I create layered art cloth and just to keep it different, I added stitching as one of the layers.

 

Now I have to be honest. I've done a lot of publishing this year but this one? This one is my favorite, its so much fun to have my process out there for everyone to try (hopefully you'll like it too).

As always, QA packed a whopping amount of information into 96 pages. I particularly like the new feature "Off the Page" which asks an artist to share how they go from concept to artwork by peeking inside their sketchbook. Love seeing how other people's brains work. The first artist to offer up their journal is Ana Buzzalino, really good stuff there.

The "Stitched Pet Portraits" by Faith Cleary gave me a smile, I have to do one of Dooley love one of these days. And the "Results from the 'Greatest Pet Peeve' Reader Challenge" gave me a huge laugh - could relate to almost all of them! Jeannie Palmer Moore's "Simple Shibori" looks like a gem, I love any variation that makes things easier and she's done it without sacrificing the quality of the print.

As with any other issue, there's something for everyone in there. Snag a copy if you can, its a great read with a cup of tea in the evening, especially now that winter is coming and its time to hunker inside.

Oh, and just because I said his name and I've not shown him off lately, here's a shot of Dooley love. :)

Happy Creating everyone! :)

i'm a paint girl

I was asked recently what kind of surface design artist I am. I didn't understand the question and when I asked for clarification, I was asked again, "You know - what do you use most? Paint? Dye? Bleach?"

Ah yes, that one was easy to answer - I'm a paint girl.

95% of the time, I use paint when I do surface design. Why? Lots of reasons - I can buy it at the store if I don't want to mail order it, there are as many varieties as there are colors on the rainbow, I don't have to batch it, I can use it straight from the bottle, its ease of use means I can work in odd moments when time allows.

I think its pretty much the ideal surface design medium. (I'm a fan, can you tell?)

Imagine my glee when Jackie pointed me toward the Profab paint that Pro Chem sells. I'd heard of it, hadn't used it yet but they take it a step further. Take a lookie at what's on my print table right now:

They offer you the ability to mix your own colors from the color concentrates.

I've always dreamed of having my own paint line, rich with the colors that make my heart sing. Now I can create my own personal palette straight away and the possibilities buzzing in my head are keeping me up at nights.

I didn't get a chance to dig in this past weekend but its on my radar for this upcoming weekend. I expect there to be some work to get the colors and tones that I want but right now, this paint girl is absolutely in love!! :)

whacking stuff with a hammer

This past weekend was incredibly mild weather here in Michigan. To the tune of fifty degrees. If it had been sunny, wearing a coat would have been a debatable thing. 

I was outside in the backyard doing some fall clean up chores and kept stepping on these pesky things:

I don't really know what they are. They look like cherries (clearly they are not) so that's what I call them. Crab apples? Too small for that? No idea. But I have LOT of them milling about on the ground and I noticed that when they pop, they spit out colored juice.

Hmmmmmm....

So I gathered this together and mosied out to the blacktop driveway:

 I've kind of got the whole natural dyeing thing on the brain, just as little experiments and these seemed like they have potential.

So I layered the fabric, one layer on the bottom, dumped the cherries on top and then a second piece of fabric on top:

 Commence the whacking with the hammer:

Funny thing about the cherries - they roll incredibly far and shoot out like little bullets when hit just so. I ended up rolling the fabric like a little burrito to keep the buggers inside and I was able to completely pulverize them:

 Kind of pretty. A little stinky since they are busy rotting. But still kind of interesting results anyway:

There are a few things about this that go outside my normal way of working. #1 is that I rarely work on white fabric. But I knew whatever pigment was left in these wouldn't stand a chance against a color fabric so I yanked out some off white Kaufman solid I had in the stash.

The other thing that is different about this for me is that its got pink on it. Pink. My least favorite color in the world. I tend to approach that color much like my sewing machine these days - we're getting used to each other. I'm curious to see if I can work with this color in a way that jives with everything else I do.

I want them to dry out before I rinse them. My theory being that the longer it has to stain, the better the stain will hold. I could be totally wrong. I'm hoping I come away with nifty marks after a water rinse (I know better then to run this through the washer) and then I can start building a piece for the show I'm in in April.

I left them in the garage to dry since its supposed to rain. Wanna bet me the garage smells like a compost pile? ;-)

I'll post what becomes of them, hopefully something interesting.

creative pause prompt #11

Creative Pause Prompt #11:

Write down every single thing you love about being an artist.

Make the list huge, silly, serious - whatever you think best suits your artistic style. When you're done, put it up in your studio so you can remember how awesome it is to be a creative spirit.

Creative Pause Prompt is a weekly blog post series that delivers a low key, no stress prompt to help you keep creativity in your schedule no matter how busy you are. You can read more about it here.

where i stand sunday

Color and abstract design lessons are everywhere. My eye traces the slow easy curves of the branches, lingers on the earthy greyness and shadow. I can loose myself in studying these small mazes, beautiful and still in its quietness.

Where I Stand is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. 

adding a few details

This weekend saw me cleaning the studio. Again. For the billionth time.

Its okay, I've come to accept that I will never be done with the task. (Although I secretly hope someday that someone will start an art studio cleaning service and all I'll have to do is hand over some money and they sweep in like fairies and make everything sparkly. Or get fairies. I'm good with either one.)

Upon cleaning and tidying, I unearthed a bit of odds and ends and I began to eyeball this fellow:

I mentioned back in this post that I wanted to super size him, really make him something over the top. But slowly, kind of as a treat when I need a break from all the have-to's.

I discovered that cleaning is a perfect time to do that.

My friend Took had a de-stash and I came away with some pretty nifty things. One of the things I grabbed were a set of wood blocks that are painted to look like cards. Had no idea what I would do with them but it was one of those deals that you see it and think, "I can do something with that."

And I did:

 

I knew that the bigger box needed feet because its not a box at all but a drawer. It has a lip around the one side so I needed to put something beneath it to make it sit even. The big giant card blocks did just the trick (and I was super happy that they got used straight away instead of being stashed - thanks Took!)

I also added some paint circles:

 

 

I toyed with the idea of painting the entire inside one color but in the end decided I didn't need to think about it that hard. I'll just add as I go. The thing that appeals to me is the grunginess of  the wood so painting the whole thing would defeat the purpose. 

And lastly I added some red jingle bells to the top:

I set them up there to add later, thinking I would drive nails into the edges and hang them from them. But I liked the way they looked just sitting there and the idea of something that is supposed to make noise not being able to because they are stuck in place appealed. They're glued down now.

So here is what it looks like now:

Not an enormous difference but the process of adding to it a little bit at a time is something I'm really enjoying. There's something to be said for slow and steady. :)

doing the prep work

I woke early this morning, a habit ground into me from the day job. But if I'm being honest, I love the light at that time of day. Its strange, almost like a dusk that peels back slowly and steadily. It seems like it has secrets.

I've been working on building the list of things that I want to accomplish over the next month and a half and its growing to proportions that need some beating back. The only way to tackle it is to do as much prep work as I can in the little spaces of the day. Those times when it doesn't seem like five minutes would be enough time to accomplish anything are the key to meeting deadlines like these.

On my list was washing and tearing this fabric into fat quarters:

These are destined for something quite special, something I have been holding in my mind for the past year. Hopefully it looks as good in reality as it does in my imagination.

I think beginnings are the best part of creating art, the depth of possibility inspires nothing but confidence and curiosity. There's no end to what you can do with it.

Now that the fabric is waiting to be ironed and made into its finished product, I can tick that off the prep list and move on to the next thing. Even though the to-do list seems endless some days, I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

the thankful day

1. Autumn leaves, 2. Phot.Turkey.Thanksgiving.100516, 3. Holding hands (232/365), 4. Pumpkins in Grass

I try to remind myself every day to be thankful for the life I lead. Its not always easy, stress is a fierce opponent. But if I were to write down all that's good in one column and all that's bad in the other, the positive things would kick stress' butt down the street in a nano second.

I love Thanksgiving Day. Of course partly because of the food, who doesn't like that? Its also the time of the year, the slow sleepy transition of nature into winter. And being with family, spending the day focusing on the good in life.

Doesn't get much better then this. :)

Wishing you and your's a lovely day full of smiles and food and love.

new column for Quilting Arts - and YOU could be featured!

I am incredibly excited to make this announcement - I'm writing a column for Quilting Arts magazine in 2012 and YOU could be featured!

The column seeks to showcase fiber art groups from around the globe. Its goal is to highlight the strong sense of community in the fiber art world in the form of artist gatherings. It doesn't matter if you meet in person or online, if you are in the U.S. or international, if you have a hundred members or ten - I want to hear about you!

If you belong to a group and are interested in submitting, please send the following information to my dropbox:

1. What kind of fiber art does your group focus on?

2. What makes you unique from other fiber art groups?

3. List any activities or exercises that you think would be an interesting feature for the column.

Your answers to the above questions can be sent in the form of a word doc or a pdf. You may send up to five low resolution images with your submission. If you are chosen, high resolution photos will be requested. If you have a website, please include that link with your submission.

Please designate one person from your group as the contact for the submission.

There are a limited number of slots open for the column so please be sure to send all the above requested information with your submission. I'm always available for questions at FibraArtysta@earthlink.net  (please do not send your submissions to my email address, use the dropbox link above).

Please give me a few weeks to get back to you if you submit.

Thanks and look forward to meeting all of you! :)

book review - "inside the creative studio"

Inside the Creative Studio

by Cate Coulacos Prato

I picked up "Inside the Creative Studio" recently and I've been slowly working my way through it and thought maybe we'd have a little chat about what a good book it is. Because I'm all about books and this one is a darn good one.

I was intrigued because I have a thing for seeing inside other people's creative spaces. Its pretty clear pretty quickly that they carve out a special niche that reflects their creative spirit and its like getting to stand inside their head.

Cate has packed all of that into this book - a good solid view of each artist's state of mind. You've got all varieties in here - artists who built their own studios, converted rooms in houses, little nooks. 

I was struck by how authentic and honest the artists are that are featured in the book. I particularly love Lesley Riley's description of "fabric creep" which pretty much sums up every fiber artists fabric collection (I admit to laughing out loud and having the urge to rip the page out of the book and tack it up in my studio because truer words have never been spoken).

There's a section in there full of oodles of organizing tips (always a good idea even if its just something we dream about) and I appreciated the chapter on using re-purposed items as studio furniture. My studio has gone through so many versions I can't even count so budget is important when you have a fickle heart like mine and I'd never thought of visiting flea markets for items to use.

I could list everything I love about the book - the section on color and light and how to make small spaces work if that's all you've got available - but I'll just say this: pick a copy up for yourself. It really is a great read, I enjoyed it and its a resource that I'm sure I'll head back to again and again.

fabric owls gone wild part 2

I swear, these little fellows are just having one grand party!

Their latest appearance is in a column by Sherida Warner of Colorado's The Daily Sentinel:

Pretty cool, huh? :)

And I got these photos from Vivika DeNegre:

 

She made these little fellows as thank you gifts for a fundraiser (she said they've raised $140 so far - yay!), you can read more about in her blog post. (I especially love the word "hoot" stitched across their little fannies.)

Will there be a "fabric owls gone wild part 3" post? Who knows, could be - send along photos of your little guys if you make some, I'd love to share them on the blog! :)

from the studio

I got some good studio time in on Sunday. What was nice about it was that I went in there without a huge agenda. I've got stuff to work on but I wasn't feeling super attached to any one idea.

I decided it was a good time to make parts.

My Remnant Collages require a lot of elements and since I don't keep a stockpile of printed fabrics, it takes some effort when I'm faced with needing to make several of them. (I need a bunch for the show in April 2012 that I'm doing with Jackie, lots to do.)

I've been experimenting a lot with this lately:

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you - that's a sewing machine being used. (And I'm using it, thought I should clarify that.) If you've been around the blog for a while, this may shock you for a couple of reasons: (1) The sewing machine and I have an uneasy relationship that usually revolves around me cussing it out and (2) I'm a staunch supporter of hand stitching.

So let me explain - I decided that since the machine takes up space in my studio and cost me money, I needed to find a way to make it earn its keep. I've been stitching art cloth lately to add a different element to it, particularly texture.

The fabric you see up above is a reject that never found its footing - the color combination grossed me out when I got done with it and I just didn't like the almost pinkish tone of the orange base of the fabric. So it seemed a good candidate for this experiment. 

Here's the end result of the stitching portion:

 I like it better now. It still needs a lot of work, I'll probably attack it with some paint again and calm the first layer of paint down. Its got potential, it will get there.

My interest in using machine stitching to add texture came from this challenge piece that I did:

 If I'm being totally honest, I machine stitched it because I was running low on time. I didn't expect to like it so much. Its been nagging at me ever since and I'm tentatively letting it in, still feels a bit strange.

I stitched a little bit on a couple of other pieces of fabric too:

 

 I've nothing but affection for the off white piece. These two pieces are also far far far from done, just in their beginning stages but they give me the warm fuzzy feeling. Yum.

I also decided that since I'm going to be doing work for the show, I wanted some more table space to work on (don't we always want that??).  I goofed around with nudging some stuff out of the way and opened the other half of my print table and I'm super excited about the extra space:

 Now I need to get some really wide fabric to cover the entire thing. I learned the hard way that seams in the base fabric aren't always your friend. (And can make you say bad things when they show up in your printing.)

It wasn't an epic amount of work done but it felt good to putter.

And the view from studio window has changed significantly in the past week:

Just a week ago the trees were burning with color. The season change is in full swing, I love it. The energy it puts out is almost manic and there's something instinctual about it, makes you feel alive.